


Coffee Shops and Cameras

by KissedByAShadow



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Shadowhunters (TV) RPF, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Background Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Background Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood, Background Simon Lewis/Maia Roberts, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Light Angst, M/M, Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood First Meet, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-12-29 21:22:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18302186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KissedByAShadow/pseuds/KissedByAShadow
Summary: Alec Lightwood is a professor whose love for English Literature is unparalleled. Magnus Bane is a photographer who doesn't understand words, and prefers to communicate through pictures.They fall in love when Alec leaves Magnus a note every day.[Disclaimer: This fanfiction is loosely based off of a tumblr prompt.]





	1. An Unexpected Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> This was based off a tumblr prompt that actually circulated twitter a long time ago. I'd initially started writing the story, but had to stop it due to personal reasons. I've restarted it now.
> 
> Enjoy :)

"This is ridiculous." Alec complains, throwing his pen down on the table as he flings his hands in the air in frustration. A moment later, he leans over his laptop screen, squinting at the monitor. 

"What is?" Jace asks, his tone bored. He isn't really paying attention to Alec so much as he is to the strange, and exceptionally loud, movie playing on Alec's tv. For some reason unbeknownst to him, all his friends are gathered at his apartment, watching some garbage about aliens and space and rockets that he couldn't be bothered less about. 

"This guy is in  _college_ , and he still thinks he can get away with turning the words white." Alec scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief as he explains what's wrong, despite the fact that Jace is barely even listening. "As if I'm going to fall for that." He picks his pen up again, marking a bright red cross against the name scrawled messily across the sheet of paper next to him - Josh Carter. 

"Live a little, Alec." Clary retorts, snuggling closer into Jace's lap as she pulls the blanket she stole from his bedroom up to her chin. Jace, in turn, drops a quick kiss to her forehead. 

Alec rolls his eyes. 

"Easy for you to say." He mutters, sighing heavily as he opens up what he's sure is yet another poorly written assignment. It's Saturday, and he wants nothing more than to take the day off, but his damned self had to go assign his students another set of essays.

"Hey, you're the one who chose to be a college professor." Clary states dryly, only adding to his aggravation. He swivels around in his chair, glaring at her pointedly.

"Don't make me fail you this semester." He threatens. 

She barks out a laugh. 

"Go ahead," She says easily, waving her hand dismissively. "My major's art, anyway. English is just extra credit." 

"I meant art." Alec responds smoothly, smirking at the way she instantly sits up straight, drawing her eyes away from the television. "Ragnor and I happen to be....friends." He says, hoping his bluff isn't noticeable. He and Fell, the art teacher, aren't quite friends; aquantainces would be a much more appropriate term, but he doesn't need Clary knowing that, not when he's been using this as leverage for over a year now - ever since she joined NYU, in fact. 

"You wouldn't." The red head hisses, earning herself a chuckle from him. 

"Oh, I would." 

"Knock it off, both of you." Izzy intervenes, standing up and stepping away from Simon, who whines at the sudden loss of contact. "Shut up, Si." She mutters, shushing him when she notices Alec direct his glare in their direction. 

"Stop acting like children." She adds. Instantly, Clary falls back into Jace's lap with a huff, an amused grin spreading over her boyfriend's face at the childish exchange.

"Now, Alec, what's wrong?" Izzy asks him, making her way towards him. She places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"This?" He questions bluntly, knocking her hand off as he turns around to point at his laptop accusingly. "Ridiculous." He states firmly, crossing his arms across his chest. 

Izzy chuckles.

"You're so pent up, big brother." She teases, smiling at his antics. In return, he faces away from her, his eyebrows meeting at the center of his head in an attempt to ease the steadily growing headache there. It's been a while since he's taken a break - all he wants is to rip his blazer and shirt off and just go to sleep - but that definitely isn't an option, not when finals are right around the corner. His students might be terrible, but that doesn't mean he has to be an equally horrible teacher. 

"Sorry." He mumbles, through pinched lips. 

"Don't be." She admonishes, shaking her head. Wrapping a perfectly manicured set of nails around his forearm, she gently pries it away from his chest, taking his hand in hers for a moment. "I'm sure this....Josh," She says, leaning over to peer at his meticulously kept diary - one where he keeps a record of all his students work - as she let's his hand drop into his lap. "Must've just made a mistake." She assures him. 

He scoffs.

"If by mistake, you mean 'I got too drunk last night and couldn't care less about what I handed in to you', then yes, he did make a mistake."

"Woah," Simon breathes out suddenly, drawing both Alec's and Izzy's attention towards him. He turns towards them with wide eyes. "You know, you've always been dramatic, man, but this was on a whole other level." He says, nodding at Alec, who narrows his eyes.

"Don't make me kick you out, Simon." He warns, his voice low. Instantly, Simon's hands go up into the air in surrender, as he turns back towards the tv, very pointedly ignoring Jace's smug grin. 

"Alec, be nice." Izzy says condescendingly, cocking her head as she faces Alec with an amused expression. He sighs for what's probably the millionth time that day, and turns his head towards her reluctantly.

"What?" He asks impatiently, when she stares at him wordlessly for a moment.

"What's wrong?" She fires back, her gaze piercing as she levels hers with his. 

"I-nothing." He stutters, averting his gaze in the hope that she won't read further into the situation. His sister's always been a bit too inquisitive, even when they were younger. It's how she found out he was gay in the first place. It's an admirable quality, usually, but when it starts interfering in his personal life, that's when he draws the line. 

"You're lying." She says bluntly, a trait all the Lightwoods seem to share. 

"No, I'm not." He argues, turning back around his chair before she can get another word out. "Look, I'm just tired, okay?" He continues over his shoulder. "It's been a stressful week, that's all."

"That's such-"

"Look, Iz, I love you, but really, nothing's wrong." He says firmly, standing up to face her, his features set in what he hopes is a stoic expression. "And if something was, you'd be the first one to know." He promises her, ignoring the indignant noise of protest from Jace. 

She nods slowly, but he can tell that she isn't quite convinced. He has no doubt that she'll bring the matter up again soon, but for now, he can relax. She rubs her hand over his shoulder once, patting it lightly before heading to back to her seat near Simon, plopping down onto the ground beside him. Clearly, she's willing to let the issue drop. At least for now. 

He heaves a sigh of relief, and turns back to his desk. 

* * *

"What's wrong?"

"Gah!" He cries, dropping the plate he's washing into the sink. It lands there with a loud clatter, but he's not really paying much attention to it as he spins around on his heel to face the intruder.

"Izzy, what-"

"What's wrong, Alec?" She asks, crossing her arms across her chest as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, looking up at him with a pointed expression on her face.

"I already told you, Iz. Nothing's wrong." He explains, retrieving the plate from the sink as he inspects it for any signs of damage.

"You're lying." She says again, repeating her words from earlier. He sighs, wondering how their mother could possibly have given birth to someone as stubborn as Isabelle Ligthwood, and remains silent as he continues to wash his dishes.

"What, are you just gonna stand there until I'm done?" He asks incredulously, sending a spray of bubbles and water in the air as he waves his hand in an exaggerated gesture.

She remains silent.

"Izzy, come on."

He turns back around then, towelling his hands dry before tossing the worn out piece of cloth back onto the counter and facing her with carefully arranged features that hopefully conceal any and all traces of emotion running through him.

"Am I supposed to just come up with some sort of problem to get you to stop?"

"No," She muses. "But you could tell me truth about a certain Magnus Bane." She says slyly, her eyes twinkling.

Instantly, he takes a step back, his hip jamming into the jagged marble edge on the kitchen counter that he's been meaning to fix ever since he first bought this apartment over three years ago.

"H-how do you know about....that?" He stutters, his eyes widening. 

"I have my ways." She chuckles smoothly, a smirk spreading across her face at Alec's astounded expression. "That, and Clary told me." She adds, smothering a giggle behind her hand as he clenches his fist.

"I'm going to kill her." He mutters darkly.

"Oh, stop being so morbid, Alec." His sister chides, shaking her hand. 

"I'm not being morbid." He responds stubbornly, although his thoughts are elsewhere.

Or, more specifically, with a certain Magnus Bane.

The man had showed up at New York University about a week ago, and had waltzed into Alec's life soon after. He'd been going over some important phrases from Othello with his students, most of whom hadn't really been paying much attention, when he'd heard a knock at the door. A second later, he's been greeted by the sight of Magnus Bane, asking for directions to the photography workshop being conducted on campus. 

Alec had gladly given him the directions to get there, even going so far as to offer to take him there himself. _No, I'd rather not interrupt your class,_ Magnus had said, eyeing Alec's students with a skeptical glance, but smiling at Alec nonetheless. And from that moment onwards, he'd been completely smitten.

"Sure, you're not." Izzy says, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turns to face her, only to note with annoyance the knowing grin plastered across her face.

"Come on." She says, taking his hand and dragging him out of the kitchen. She leads him towards the door, grabbing his coat from the rack beside them and shoving it at him.

"Where are we going?" He grumbles, still not over his initial irritation as he slips the coat onto his shoulders.

"A walk." She tells him firmly, unlocking the front door and ushering him outside. A second later, she's slamming it shut, the sound of the lock sliding into place prominent in the isolated hallway, before tossing the keys towards him. He catches it easily; college football has paid off, pocketing the bunch.

"A walk to?" 

"Nowhere in particular." She says, with a casual shrug of her shoulders. The movement jostles her fur coat - a gift from their father for her eighteenth birthday.

"Fine." He concedes, jogging to catch up to her rapid pace as they head down the stairs and out the door. "But I've still got some work to do, so this better he quick." He warns, his previous annoyance rapidly fading.

"Relax, we've got plenty of time." She says reassuringly.

"You do, I don't." He mumbles, but lets her drag him through the streets of Brooklyn nonetheless.

Ten minutes later, they're standing in front of their local coffee shop, a broad grin on Izzy's face. The air is chilly; winter hasn't quite ended up, but the signs of spring are there. 

"What is it?" He asks her, noticing the way the corners of her lips turn up into a smile as she regards him with a curious but determined expression. 

"Oh, nothing," She says casually, arousing his suspicions almost immediately. He never trusts either of his siblings when they say things like that.

"Just.... look inside." She continues, her barely contained glee plainly visible to Alec in the slight tremor of her voice as she points into the store. Silently, he peers in the direction of her finger, shaking his head amusedly in an almost imperceptible gesture. 

A second later, he stumbles backwards.

"Izzy, what the hell?" He all but shouts, struggling to keep his voice low. 

"What?" She asks, batting her eyes innocently. She shrugs, the movement casual, and says, "What did I do?"

"You know damned well what you've done." He spits, gritting his teeth as he glares at her. He closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb as he takes a few deep breaths to calm down. "Izzy, I swear to god, I will kill you." He taunts, his voice deadly. 

Because right there in the middle of that coffee shop, with an expectant expression on his face, exactly like he's waiting for someone, is Magnus Bane. 


	2. A Terrifying Proposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this! It certainly serves as a distraction from the literal hell being raised on the show.

"Izzy, what the hell?" He hisses frantically, directing an accusing glare in her direction.

"What?" She asks, shrugging her shoulders, her eyes wide. 

"Did you ask him to be here?"

"I didn't," She says, smiling. "But a certain Alec Lightwood might've."

"Oh, for heaven's sake." He heaves a worried sigh, his shoulders rising and falling against the sudden weight that seems to weigh down on them, closing his eyes. "What did you do?" He questions silently, dreading her response. 

"You know, you should really change your phone's password. Setting it to the year you moved out is pretty predictable."

Instantly, his phone is out of his pocket, and he's tapping away at the screen, desperately trying to open his messages.

_Hey, Magnus. Do you think we could meet at The Brooklyn Barista today? There's something I need to talk to you about._

_Sure :)_

He scrubs his hand across his face.

"Izzy, why?"

"Because watching you pine after him like a lost puppy is painful to watch. Clary's words, not mine." She adds quickly, when he narrows his eyes.

He groans.

"Look, I'm not doing this, okay?" He tells her firmly, turning around to head back home. He has papers to grade, and he certainly doesn't have enough to time to try asking someone out, not when he's almost certain they're going to refuse.

"Actually," She says, latching onto his arm before he can take a step further in the opposite direction. "You are."

"What, are you going to blackmail me?"

"No. I'm just going to ask Clary to talk to him for me."

"No!" He shouts, his voice an octave higher than usual. He faces her, trepidation running through him as he scrutinizes her expression with a calculating gaze of his own. She stares back, unrelenting.

Finally, after what seems like forever, he yields.

"Fine," He grumbles, ignoring the way she almost squeals with delight. "But you'd better not ask Clary to do anything crazy."

"You have my word." Izzy responds solemnly. "Now go get your man." She says, pushing him into the store.

"Okay, okay." He says, opening the door. The bells hanging above it tinkle delightedly, a stark contrast to the fear coursing through his veins. 

The Brooklyn Barista is warm, and cozy. It's well lit - enough to plainly highlight the slight shake of his fingers and the tremor in his movements. He scans the store for a moment, unsure of whether to sigh in relief or run away screaming at the sight of Magnus seated comfortably in a corner of the room as he taps away on his phone. He clearly hasn't ordered anything yet.

The man hasn't noticed him yet, something Alec is immensely grateful for, and he heads towards the counter, ordering a simple latte as he ponders over what to do. He certainly can't approach Magnus; if he had enough courage to do that, he would've, a long, long time ago.

Which means his only other option is to lie his way out of this.

He's wracking his brain for an idea - maybe he could talk about the Vogue photographer who's about to visit campus. They're rumors, but the subject would definitely give him something to talk about.

When suddenly, it hits him.

The idea seems ridiculous, almost childlike, and definitely a cliche, something he's never really been a fan of, but it seems 

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on twitter: [ @shadowhunt_101 ](https://mobile.twitter.com/shadowhunt_101)
> 
> Also, I've been writing a real life version of this story, on Wattpad. I know many of you would much rather read this version, but I'm adding my link just in case:  @Dana_Aravi 
> 
> ALSO, if anyone knows the tumblr user/is the tumblr user who came up with this prompt, please let me know. He/she deserves the credit, this idea is beautiful.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Feedback is always appreciated.
> 
> Love,  
> Dana.


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